Fic: Bel Canto - 10/16 (BBC Sherlock)

[bendingsignpost]

Title: Bel Canto
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 8.8k out of 125ishk
Betas: vyctori, seijichan, lifeonmars
Disclaimer: Do not own.
Summary: After years of waiting for wealthy patrons to faint, Dr John Watson discovers a far more interesting patient in the opera house basement. (AU through a Phantom of the Opera lens.)
Warnings: Violence, internalized homophobia, eventual character

Comments

[rifleman_s]

"He’ll sit in the tub until the ache eases and he won’t think at all. He’ll sit and not think and he’ll stop mourning this ridiculous vision of a man who isn’t and was never real."

John is taking things in, in his usual calm and stoic manner; but his mind must be whirling frantically inside . . .

Looking forward to the "explanation" !

[bendingsignpost]

Thank you!

Thinking over the story so far

[rachelindeed]

Hello -- I am enjoying this story so much, thank you for sharing it. Lots of impressive spookiness in this chapter as you described all these perilous empty spaces. There's something about moving through the echoing dark with a gun and a candle and a certainty that someone out there wants you hurt (or in John's case, dead). Eeeeep. And yet, even with all the build-up, I was quite shocked when Holmes was actually attacked; part of that was the mid-conversation staging, but also part of it is that when you think the main conflict is emotional you put the physical conflict on a mental back-burner. I see the authorial sleight of hand now, and appreciate it. Also, I, at least, get the sense that Holmes has never taken an attack against himself seriously at all. And he was being rather cavalier with poor Westy, as well, whom I hope to see alive again rather than with a broken neck at the bottom of some stairs (though as soon as I saw his name I thought, "red shirt." But then I remembered that in this version Joe Harrison was the

Re: Thinking over the story so far, continued

[rachelindeed]

Personally, I'm not actually nearly as angry with him as John is for that part of what he did; I see his behavior in his Holmes persona as more emotionally blind than deliberately manipulative, and with me his intentions count for a lot, and his intentions seem on the whole good up to the point at which he learned that John did not return his feelings in the way he expected

Re: Thinking over the story so far, continued

[bendingsignpost]

And I'm not really sure how to interpret Vernet's subsequent disappearance without a word. If Sherlock felt ashamed of himself and knew he couldn't trust himself anywhere near a willing, uninformed John ever again, then that's one thing. If, however, he was hoping to manipulate John into being less attached to Vernet so that he could get a second chance at wooing him in his own person, then that adds another layer of manipulation to the whole mess.

That will be addressed later on, but nope, neither of those reasons. Excellent theories, though.

But the Holmes family solution, to get John to incriminate himself before being taken fully into the family confidence, was manipulative and upsetting and makes me want to punch them.

This is certainly how John read it, but there was some factor of Holmes needing John to accept him as Holmes, seeing as Holmes doesn't consider Vernet to be his true self. He's hardly ever Vernet, after all, and Vernet isn't his name. If John is to love him, period, he can only love Holmes. Sherlock's

Re: Thinking over the story so far

[bendingsignpost]

And yet, even with all the build-up, I was quite shocked when Holmes was actually attacked; part of that was the mid-conversation staging, but also part of it is that when you think the main conflict is emotional you put the physical conflict on a mental back-burner. I see the authorial sleight of hand now, and appreciate it.

It's one of my favorite tricks, frankly, to focus so closely on one issue that needs to be resolved, and then to cut away to a different one. The juggling pays off.

Also, I, at least, get the sense that Holmes has never taken an attack against himself seriously at all.

Yeah, pretty much. This is why John's fear at his birthday opera scared the crap out of him.

John flat out told him that he didn't need to know, so long as he knew his character, and since Holmes is aware that John does know his character and that none of his behavior as Vernet was untrue to himself, I am not actually that surprised that Holmes is shocked now to find John so angry. Since John was so accepting of Vernet hiding his true

[bendingsignpost]

He is so done with all of this, right now.

He's just hit a point of being through so much and doing so much that, nope, no more. That's it. He has run out of fucks.

I don't know if you saw this, but I wrote a poem about Sherlock's frustration on tumblr. I think it sums up things nicely.

[bendingsignpost]

To be fair, I also don't tend to notice when a lot of fics I like are by the same person. I don't know why this is a thing people do, but it's definitely a thing.

Anywho, thank you! I had a lot of fun weaving the lyrics in.

[labellecreation]

My heart skipped a little when Green said "No rush" I think I must be jumping at ghosts too.